Chupacabra: Chapter 1
by turbulentfics
Summary: Daryl and what is left of his group have been captured by the mysterious inhabitants of Terminus. Little is known of their captors and their intentions. Still haunted by recent events, Daryl desperately wants to save his fellow survivors, but cannot come up with a plan. Can an unusual encounter be the saving grace for the group?


The day was new and the birds were singing their songs. One could almost call it beautiful. Blue skies filled with puffy clouds providing adequate shade every now and then. One could almost forget that the dead were walking. For a while, Daryl Dixon had done just that, forgotten. It wasn't the clear sky or the birds with their songs. In fact, he hated those birds. All their singing did was remind him of his most recent failure. They reminded him of her, of Beth. All the time he had spent with the girl, he pretended that her singing annoyed him. Now, he missed it more than anything. Every chirp brought her image to his mind. All he wanted was for it to stop, but when it did, his thoughts went straight to the night he'd lost her. Another person added to the list of people he'd let down. Had it not been for the company with him, he might have gone mad.

Eleven people occupied the cramped metal prison with him. Eleven people he didn't want to add to his list of failures. His blue hues scanned the dark enclosure, taking in the scene. His gaze rested on Carl, the little twerp was almost a man now. Daryl could see it in his eyes. He knew the look; he'd seen it in the mirror when he was that age. Growing up in a hostile environment had a certain effect on children. While those of privilege usually had a look of optimism and innocence, kids like Carl had a savvy look about them. Sophia had it too. Too bad she couldn't apply that shrewdness when it came to walkers. Maybe she'd still be alive. That thought wounded him. It hurt so bad, he had to look away from the boy.

Rick was pacing again as he had been since their capture. He would only stop to look through the small crack in the car door or to sleep. He was trying to think of a plan for some sort of escape, that much was clear. Every time Daryl tried to contribute to the thought process, all he saw was Beth. Was she hurt? Who had her? Then it dawned on him. What if she was here? These Terminus people seemed unstable. They could be the people keeping Beth. That thought brought him to his feet, causing everyone in the car to look at him. He'd been silent for most of their imprisonment. Ignoring the gazes, he walked over to Rick, who seemed to be the only person who hadn't noticed he'd moved.

"What're you thinkin'?" Daryl asked wearily, leaning against the wall. Rick's gaze never left the gap in the door. Moonlight illuminated his blue iris.

"Don't know yet" he replied gruffly, "They've got a routine, obviously, but this isn't the best vantage point to find out what it is."

"What d'ya think they're gonna do with us?"

"Hard to say."

It seemed that Rick was done talking on the subject. Daryl pondered, chewing on his lip as he looked around the car again. Everyone was sleeping, even Carl. Maybe it was stress or they had all stayed awake so long that they couldn't any more. None of them had slept much since their capture and Daryl didn't expect that he would any time soon. Sleeping meant dreaming and he knew what he would dream of. Instead, he settled for sitting back in his usual spot. There was a hole where the metal of the car had rusted out; he liked to feel the fresh air coming through it. It wasn't until he had decided to lie down and put his face next to it that he saw a pair of blue eyes staring back at him.

Before he could react, the young woman was shoving a bottle of water in his face. He moved out of the way as she continued to push supplies through the hole. Bewildered, he looked around the car to find Rick walking toward him. The blonde on the outside of the car placed a finger over her lips when Rick meant to speak to her.

"I promise it ain't poisoned," she whispered, shoving some bread in the car, "You're gonna need your strength if you're gonna make it out of here."

"Why're you helpin' us?" Daryl asked, his voice thick with skepticism. Her eyes moved from him to Rick as if surprised by the accusatory tone.

"I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth if I was you," she replied angrily, "but if you must know, this ain't the kinda place you wanna be if you ain't already noticed. Y'all made the mistake of makin' 'em mad. Shoulda played it sweet like me, but the damage is done and we gotta get you outta this cart. I'll be back tomorrow. Don't do or say anythin' that'll get ya killed."

With that, she was gone into the blackness of the night. Daryl looked up at Rick and slowly handed him a bottle of water. They uncapped their respective bottles at the same time and smelled them. It didn't seem to be a good idea to accept gifts from someone who seemed to be on the good side of their enemy. The men gave each other a look before putting the caps back on the bottles and setting them down. Rick and Daryl were often perceived as leaders; these people might be trying to get rid of them first. With that weighing on his mind, Daryl gathered the items into the corner next to the hole and leaned back against the wall. Another night of staring into the darkness. This time, he had a new blonde to worry about.


End file.
